Friday, October 16, 2009

The Redskins have been under Snyder’s thumb for a decade now, and to celebrate this anniversary in fitting fashion, they snapped the Detroit Lions’ losing streak, just hired an offensive consultant who was spending his days playing bingo, apparently overpaid for another free agent or two and certainly over-reached for a head coach. Once again, Snyder’s grand plans are fluttering about, like a Billy Kilmer pass, taking legions of hopes along for what promises to be another ridiculous ride.

Painful, but it has no real sting.

Until the writer ends with this:

Owners never sell unless they lose money or interest, and Snyder has plenty of that. He is owner for life, and chew on this, Redskins fans: He’s not even 44.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

The Redskins have a very slim window to have a successful season. Here are a few things that could work out to make it so:

1) The defense is still ranked #4 despite the Week Three debacle.

2) Left Tackle is Heyer's natural position. If he has any talentperhaps this is where it will emerge.2a) Mike Williams does have talent and size. Perhaps the techniquewill also emerge here at Right Tackle.2b) W. Montgomery has enough to be a serviceable Right Guard.2c) Perhaps Rabach, as the ranking vet on the line, will rise to thechallenge of leadership.

3) Jason Campbell, despite not having any semblance of a professionalline in front of him, a #2 WR, support from a running game, andhandicapped by less than adequate game planning or play calling fromthe sideline, is still among the best in the NFL statistically.

4) They have one more week to get well against a winless and decrepit team.

There's hope, but it is fleeting.

Zorn has two weeks to make his case to last beyond the bye. If he canswallow his pride and put in a game plan* that maximizes the talent hehas on offense and gets the maximum support from teams and defense hecan beat the Chiefs and will have a decent shot at unending the Eagleson MNF. Odds are against it, but he has a shot. If he makes theshot, then he has even odds to get a run post-bye that might eraseenough of the first five weeks' for the rancor to subside.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

It is said that when the end of days comes the world shall turn upside down and everything you know shall be unknown to you. After three weeks portent it came this week to the Redskins. The team hired a consultant to help with the offense, but the guy has been out of football for four years and has no charter or defined role or goals with the team. The defensive coordinator up and abandoned his duties dealing with the media, this of course being the man that represents the only part of the team that is performing, albeit not spectacularly and to make matters worse his underling and replacement was not aware it was going to happen. And then tailback Clinton Portis turns on his lead blocking full back over what Clinton said was poor blocking two games ago. It's cats and dogs, living together. Oh if only the Redskins owner were brave enough to face the fans and media and explain how the margins of bad management have gotten thinner every year to the point where the entire organization looks like a corrupt banana republic government.

The fall of the Redskins has been long and hard to watch, now the team has broken the cloud layer and the ground is in sight and rushing up to meet us. Dan Snyder you have taken the team you loved growing up and destroyed it. How does that feel?

US Airways said Friday that Jim Langenhahn resumed training on Monday after an 18-month disciplinary suspension.

The airline said as part of the federal arbitrator's decision to reinstate Langenhahn, he will be barred from carrying a gun in the cockpit. After the 2001 terror attacks in which hijackers armed with knives seized four jetliners, pilots lobbied for the right to carry guns in the cockpit.

A 2002 federal law allowed pilots to carry handguns on board if they took part in a program run by the Transportation Security Administration, which includes a week of weapons training.

The item refers to the troubled holsters:

Langenhahn's case was strengthened when the Department of Homeland Security faulted the design of holsters used by pilots who carry their weapons on board planes. The department's inspector general said the design increased the chance of accidental discharge when pilots inserted their guns in the holsters.

The inspector general recommended that the TSA halt use of the locking holster and consider other methods for armed pilots to stow their weapons. The holsters have been in use since 2006.

TSA spokesman Nelson Minerly defended the holster design, saying they have been used "millions of times by thousands of (pilots) without incident."

"The system has been very reliable," he said.

Reliable except when it fails... Who in their right mind puts a metal bar into the trigger guard when designing a handgun holster?

Just called the USCF office and demanded that they cancel my membership. The guy I spoke with said only USCF Executive Director Bill Hall can cancel a membership and that they'll have Hall call me.

Most USCF members are aware of the several years' long idiocy that has landed in the court systems from New York to California. I was threatened by one side late last year over the chess blog I had so I simply shut it down. To be honest, I had already tired of the situation so it was an easy decision to make. I left all the posts up including those I was being threatened over, so the bullies decidedly did NOT get what they wanted.

Now another party to the litigation idiocy is threatening me with "exposure" of certain untrue allegations. They have done this before to other people in and out of chess and the USCF has allowed them to remain members. I love chess. Other than this crap, I have liked being a USCF member since my high school days in the late 70's. However, the USCF lets these folks stick around and cause regular members money and strife.

No more, at least not for me. I'm cutting my ties with the USCF for good. Why should any chess fan go through this just to play a game? Until the USCF comes up with a membership code of conduct that penalizes this sort of behaviour I'm gone - and I've heard from loads of others for whom this is true.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

"The rationale from Taser in their training bulletin is that the new medical research that is coming out is showing that the closer probe to heart distances have a likelihood, or a possibility, that they may affect the rhythm of the heart," says SSgt. Butler.

Steve in Tennessee lives in Nashville with his beautiful wife Lee while co-existing with two dogs and one cat. Among his passions are chess, the NFL Redskins, the MLB Nationals, and exercising his First and Second Amendment Rights.

"Yes, I cling to my faith and my guns, but not bitterly!"

I'm American by birth, Southern by choice, and Texan by the Grace of God. I just happen to live in Tennessee.